How to Request a Refund If Your Credit Card Has Price Protection
Let’s say you caved in and bought that fancy espresso machine you were looking at last week. You are happy and you have caffeine, but then you see that it is $ 50 cheaper this week. Bummer. The good news is that if you paid with the correct card, you may still be able to enjoy the price drop.
Some credit cards offer price protection as a perk. If an item you buy with this card drops in value over a period of time, you can request a refund if the retailer does not already offer an item with their own price reduction policies ( and many of them do ).
However, there are usually quite a few restrictions. As a rule, the drop period is from 30 to 60 days, depending on the card. And, as ValuePenguin points out , there are limits on how much you can get back, usually between $ 250 and $ 500 per claim. They add:
Second, not all purchases qualify for credit card price protection. Most issuers have a long list of exceptions, printed in small print, in their benefit guides. Some of the more common exceptions are:
- Boats, cars and planes
- Food, drinks, gas or medicine
- Jewelry
- Tickets for shows, flights, concerts and sporting events.
- Collectibles
- Items for resale, rental, professional or commercial use
- Plants or animals
- Professional services
- Refurbished, used, custom-made or custom-made goods
- Traveler’s checks, precious metals, coins or any currency
However, tools like Paribus and Earny , which we’ve already written about , can help track your purchases and alert you if something you bought has recently dropped in value. Of course, you can also track purchases and track prices yourself using a tool like CamelCamelCamel.
Once you see that something you bought has dropped in value, you usually need to call your credit card company and ask for a refund. Here are the rules and phone numbers of some of the popular telecom operators:
- Chase : 888-320-9656
- Discover : 800-347-2683
- Mastercard : 800-627-8372
Of course, they won’t just take your word for it. You will likely need to fill out a claim form as well as a receipt and proof of the discounted price. If you have a Citi card, you can apply through their Citi Price Rewind website and they will track the price for you.